Flickr flirts with Google users

Google account holders can now log into image hosting site Flickr using their Google username and passwords, as a result of the OpenID initiative.

Flickr, as you may be aware, is owned by Google's rival Yahoo - so you may be questioning Yahoo's logic in letting Google users on board without signing up for a Yahoo ID.

But the way we see it, is that it's a win win situation, with both parties benefiting.

Sure, Yahoo may lose some potential new users, but it may also prevent Google's Picasa from gaining strength if people use Flickr instead. And yes, Picasa might miss out on a new customer base, but Google will surely benefit from there being less Yahoo IDs on the web.

A post on the Flickr blog read:

"We’re introducing OpenID on Flickr, a service that makes it faster and easier to sign-up for new accounts by letting you use one identity across multiple websites. So starting today, you’ll be able to use a Google account to sign-up for a new Flickr account. We’re pleased to announce Google as our first partner, but stay tuned as we continue to add even more in the future".

If you've already got a Flickr account, you'll still need to use your Yahoo details to get in, but Flickr is promising to make your signing-in process easier in the near future.